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Exploring the Influence of 21St Century Skills in a Dual Language Program: a Case Study International Journal of Teacher Leadership Heinrichs Exploring the Influence 37 Volume 7, Number 1, Spring 2016 ISSN: 1934-9726 Exploring the Influence of 21st Century Skills in a Dual Language Program: A Case Study Christine R. Heinrichs Baldwin Park Unified School District, USA Preparing students as 21st century learners is a key reform in education. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills developed a framework that identifies outcomes needed for successful implementation of rigorous standards. The Dual Language (DL) program was identified as a structure for reform with systems and practices which can be used to prepare students for the 21st century. The purpose of this study was to explore the systems and practices within a DL program that support development of 21st century skills in a southern California school district at an elementary school, middle school, and high school. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and document review and were coded to reveal six themes. Themes pertaining to Research Question One were: systems that advanced 21st century skills, and structures for collaboration. Leadership, development of community, and shared beliefs were themes that were germane to Research Question Two. Introduction The advent of the information age has encouraged an atmosphere conducive to educational reform (Fullan, Langworthy, & Barber, 2014). The positive educational reforms are those that developed innovative systems that will equip all students with the necessary skills to be successful in the 21st century. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed to prepare students for college and career upon graduation and have been adopted in 43 states (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2014). The non-profit agency, Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), has put forth a framework to support the implementation of the CCSS (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006a). The P21 framework categorizes student outcomes into four themes: (1) “Life and Career Skills”; (2) “Learning and Innovation Skills—4Cs”; (3) “Information, Media, and Technology Skills”; and (4) “Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2011a, p. 2). Among the various desired competencies listed in the four themes, multilingual communication, problem solving in authentic learning environments, and finding value in varied cultures are included. These listed competencies are identified as needed 21st century skills by various researchers such as Fullan et al. (2014), Suárez-Orozco and Suárez-Orozco (2009), and Darling-Hammond (2014). This study shows ways the aforementioned competencies connect with the goals of the Dual Language (DL) program. The DL program is an educational program model that comprises distinct systems and structures which support literacy in two languages for English Learners (ELs) as well as for English dominant students. These structures include specific language instructional models and progressions (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000; Collier & Thomas, 2004; Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2005; Skutnabb-Kangas & McCarty, 2010). The underlying principles of the DL program are clear goals for language acquisition and a consistent message that the students’ native language and culture are resources instead of an obstacle (Gandara & Contreras, 2009; Gandara & Gomez, 2008; García & Baetens Beardsmore, 2009; Garcia, 2011; Lindholm-Leary, 2001; Ray, 2008; Thomas & Collier, 1997a). International Journal of Teacher Leadership Heinrichs Exploring the Influence 38 Volume 7, Number 1, Spring 2016 ISSN: 1934-9726 Practices are distinguished from systems or structures in two distinct ways. First, practices are the actions of participants of an organization to implement a system or program. Secondly, there is a personal quality of practices. A practice is the manner in which an individual chooses to implement or participate in a system or structure. Unlike systems, practices include an individual’s beliefs, feelings of connection, and professional capacity (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2013). The purpose of this case study was to identify the systems and key practices of a DL program that enhanced the acquisition of 21st century skills. The purpose was explored through two research questions: 1. What are the key systems of a K-12 Dual Language program that were pivotal in the development of 21st century skills? 2. What are the significant ways systems are being practiced by educational leaders and teachers at various levels to promote 21st century learning in a Dual Language program? The research questions guided the exploration of the systems and practices of a DL program across school levels in a single district. Theoretical Framework Systems theory provided a framework with which to examine DL program structures as well as to assess methods of implementation, or practices, that support a program’s effectiveness (Banathy, 1991; Duffy, 2010). Implementation at the macro, meso, and micro levels were studied to further develop an organizational analysis of the schools (Wagner & Hollenbeck, 2009). Within systems theory, studies of organizational behavior identify three levels to develop the analysis of an organization; macro, meso, and micro. Wagner and Hollenbeck (2009) discussed the importance of examining each level of an organization in order to provide suitable solutions or make an organizational structure more efficient. At the macro level, the overall power structures, symbolic culture, and values of the members are found in the organization’s guiding systems. In an educational setting, the macro level includes Federal and State agencies and the local school district. These boundaries are defined by laws, board policies, district history, culture, and practices that influence the meso level of organizations. The bridge between the macro and micro levels is the meso level. The meso level is comprised of subgroups within the groups found at the macro level (Wagner & Hollenbeck, 2009). At the meso level, the organization focuses on developing means to collaborate efficiently in order to realize a shared vision. There are systems for creating opportunities for interactions, managing teams to work well together, and practicing a distributed leadership model. These interactions emphasize human relationships and the examination of practices through collaboration (Brooks & Kensler, 2011; Spillane, Halverson, & Diamond, 2001). Lambert (2002, 2005) discussed the implementation of a distributed or shared leadership model that supports sustainability of a school program. Spillane et al. (2001) wrote that, “From a distributed [leadership] perspective, it is the collective interaction among leaders, followers, and the situation that are paramount” (p. 4). Distributed leadership promotes the authority to make decisions as well as the accountability for the results of the decisions “close to the classroom” to impact the instructional environment (Darling-Hammond, 2002, p. 52). International Journal of Teacher Leadership Heinrichs Exploring the Influence 39 Volume 7, Number 1, Spring 2016 ISSN: 1934-9726 The subgroups at the meso level, in turn, are comprised of individuals at the micro level of the organization. At the micro level, attaining the shared vision is effected by developing professional capacity, motivating individuals, and applying individual skills to the group effort. The addition of the three levels of macro, meso, and micro in the study of organizational systems contributes to a more robust understanding of the complexities involved in school reform. This case study explored the key practices of a DL program at the macro, meso, and micro levels, as evidenced in one town’s district and school-wide policies. The researcher analyzed the schools’ systems for implementing and communicating the vision among the DL groups, and the individual participant’s involvement in the DL program. Review of the Literature A review of the literature reveals two components of an effective DL program: (1) clear goals for language acquisition and (2) non-English native languages as resources. Each of the components are presented with various studies from DL programs. An analysis of the intersection of the components of an effective DL program and 21st century skills as outlined in the P21Framework, three common areas were identified to provide direction to the study. First, both DL programs and the P21 Framework value multilingual communication, which is defined by P21 as a basic skill, intended to promote innovation. A second area of overlap is the application of technology in a diverse, multicultural environment. The final area of overlap is the mutual goal of integrating the 21st century concepts of multilingualism, global awareness, and civic literacy during instruction in order to prepare students with viable competencies in the ever- changing international economy. The commonalities between the DL program and 21st century skills are significant in demonstrating that the DL program is a beneficial system for educational reform. Clear Goals for Language Acquisition In a study that investigated the impact of DL programs on student achievement and closing the achievement gap, Collier and Thomas (2004) identified DL programs as enrichment programs in which the goal was to support students’ proficiency in both their native and second languages. This perspective is different from one which considered older bilingual program models generated after the original ESEA authorization as a remediation program where
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